


Gone

by OfButtsAndBombs



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Feels, Attempt at Humor, Emotions, F/M, Feels, Marvel Universe, Parents Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-04-08 09:52:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 16,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19104733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OfButtsAndBombs/pseuds/OfButtsAndBombs
Summary: The Snap happened. Half the persons on the earth - vanished. This is the story of the people they left behind.(A.U.)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This has been going around in my head for quite a while, so I wrote it down just to get it out of my system. Turned out to be really long, so I divided it into chapters, as the Notes app on my phone has a limited character count per note. Well, oops:P 
> 
> This is the first chapter, and here's to many more to come. Enjoy!!

October 2022, 6:26 AM.

 

"Leo, no!" Jake yelled, trying to pin down the five-year-old currently treating his tummy like a trampoline. "Why are you awake so early, bud? Get back to sleep!" 

"I am hungryyyy!" Leo whined, sprawling onto his father's stomach and making a pouty face.

Jake groaned and pulled himself up to a sitting position. Leo seemed wide awake, there was no going back now. Might as well get up, and start the day...  
...at six thirty on a Sunday.

 

Jake groaned again , grabbed his son and carried him to the kitchen,pretending to be an airplane. His shouts of laughter were enough to wake Jake completely. He started tickling his son and he squirmed so hard, falling from Jake's grasp.

Such sounds of laughter could be heard from the Peralta household throughout the day, as the father- son duo ate breakfast,cooked lunch together, put together a school activity for Leo ,and generally enjoyed themselves.

They ordered pizza for dinner, as a treat (Meat supreme for Jake, pepperoni for Leo) and settled down to watch a movie ( today's choice was Moana, for the millionth time, or so it seemed).

Leo fell asleep on the couch, and Jake carried him to bed and tucked him in, placing a light kiss on his forehead. 

He went back to the kitchen to clean up and get ready for Monday. Leo seemed to be only too happy to wake up on holidays, but school days were a different matter. Jake had soon realised that keeping everything ready the night before was the only way the two boys would make it to their respective school-and-work places on time.

It was only when he got back to bed when he realised what the date was. "Shit!" He hissed, jumping out of bed and going to the kitchen.

He paused then, wondering why he had done so. 

It was his mom's birthday, but it wasn't like he could call her ,or visit her, or let her know ,in any way ,that he wanted to wish her a happy birthday.

It had been almost 5 years since the day she had 'gone' ,and already Jake had forgotten her birthday. He felt like kicking himself. He paced around the room, looking for ways to make it better. Looking for ways to alleviate his guilt. Sleep evaded him, and the horrible, horrible memories of the past 5 years kept playing and replaying in his mind.

Which is probably why he dreamed of Amy, and it was a good dream this time. Him and Amy walking somewhere, laughing and talking. He didn't want the dream to end, and he slept through the alarm.

Which is probably why Monday morning found our two boys running on their way to Leo's school, Jake's shirt untucked and Leo's shoelaces undone, his backpack half open and a half - eaten banana in his hand.

"Only ten minutes late, " Jake gasped, his hands on his knees as he fought to catch his breath. "Don't get into trouble, buddy." 

"YOU don't get into trouble !" Leo exclaimed, giggling. He took off into the hallway, and Jake stood in place, even after his son was not in sight anymore. He shook his head, smiling, and turned around to leave, when-

"DADDA!! WE FORGOT THE PROJECT!!!!"

"OH CRAP!!"


	2. The Start of the End

20th April,2018. 10:30 AM

Jake was processing a perp when he looked up from his desk, to see Amy walking towards him. He jumped off from his chair and headed towards her, ignoring the perp's indignant ," Where you goin', man!?"

"Hey, babe! All good?" He asked her, sliding a hand into hers.

"Yeah, just on my way to pump! Terry showed me a room that Gina used to use. I was going to videocall your mom while I pumped , d'you wanna come?" Amy replied, nervously wringing her hands.

 

It was her second day back to work after maternity leave, and she still wasn't sold on the idea of leaving her son in the hands of a non-parent for 8 hours a day.

Today, Jake's mom was the appointed caretaker,and she basically had to push Amy out of the house to get her to go to work.

"Yeah ,I'm coming!" Jake exclaimed. Though he wasn't as overtly anxious as Amy, he'd been as bad a wreck as she was when he'd came back to work, their son barely a few weeks old at the time. 

"Dude ,what the hell!!?" The perp complained. Apparently he'd been eavesdropping. "I'm gonna hurl on your desk." 

"What kind of threat is that!?" Jake said, making his way back to his desk. "It's..it's not a threat, I'm really feeling sick!"

 

"Yeah, that's probably the drugs." Jake commented dryly. He looked back to Amy with a "This guy, right?" expression , but Amy was looking at something else in the bullpen, a puzzled look on her face. He followed her gaze to find what she was looking at, and his jaw dropped in shock.

 

Time seemed to slow down as Jake stared at the sight in front of him. At the far end of the bullpen, one of the beat cops, was staring in horror at his fingers- which seems to be-  
Disappearing? No, that wasn't it. They were disintegrating, the powderised form of his once-fingers slowling dropping to the floor.

It was then that the screams started.

All of a sudden, time started to move too fast. Everywhere Jake could see, people's limbs and torsos and heads were being turned to dust. Most of them were screaming ,many trying to hold on to the nearest solid thing they could grab on to ,as if that could help them stay in non-dust form.

 

"I'm hallucinating," Jake thought. One-by-one he dimly registered people completely disappearing, and through the chaos, his eyes sought Amy's. 

 

"Jake!" She gasped, suddenly at his side. "Jake, what the hell?! What...what is happening! I don't understand - I...I..where..." she rambled, grabbing onto the front of his jacket.

 

Jake put his hands over hers , still looking around the bullpen, trying to find a semblance of something that managed to make sense. 

 

But then, Amy's grip on his shirt loosened. "Oh!" She said. It was a soft 'oh' , almost as if she was curiously surprised...  
....not as if she'd noticed her hand being turned into dust.   
She looked up at Jake with big brown eyes, filled with fear.

It took Jake a few more seconds to grasp the situation , and suddenly he was holding onto Amy tighter than he ever had, yelling, "NO! NO!! AMES!!" 

"I -I love you, Jake...tell L-Leo I love h-him...." There was no more fear in her eyes, just sadness; terrible, deep, aching sadness, as if she'd accepted her fate.

And then she was gone.


	3. The Descent into Hell

20th April 2018. 10: 47 AM

The screams stopped as suddenly as they began. 

The yells were followed by a deafening silence. 

The chaos suddenly gave way to utter calm.

The noisy world ,it seemed, had come to a complete standstill.

Rosa surveyed the scene before her with a careful eye. 

Terry was screeching ,"What?what!?" and spinning around in place.

Scully had actually _stood up_ and was staring at his partner's desk,now empty.

Gina's chair was spinning, gradually slowing down.Apparently she'd been swiveling in it before...she wasn't anymore.

Near his desk, Jake seemed frozen, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide. His hands were wrapped around himself, as though he were holding something that wasn't there anymore.

_What the fuck had just happened?!_

 

It was Scully who broke the silence. 

"Guys...guys! Something's wrong...Hitchcock was here ,just here, we were eating pizza and now...and he just vanished! Did you see that? Did you see him vanish? Guys?" 

"Something's happened, that's for sure...." Rosa said, stepping forward. No one replied to her. Terry was still jumping around like a jackrabbit, Jake, for once in his life, the complete opposite of that.

 

Rosa searched for the right words to say, but came up empty.

 

That was until one of the perps in the holding cell started screaming, " LET US OUT! THE ALIENS ARE COMING!!! LET US OUT!! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!! LET US OUT ,YOU BLOODY BASTARDS ,WHAT THE FUCK..."  
The other prisoners chimed in too adding their own lists of demands and profanities. This seemed to shake Jake out of his stupor.  
" Leo," he gasped, and ran out of the precinct.

 

The rest of the precinct, at least those who weren't behind bars, followed him out, leaving Rosa behind with the screaming perps.


	4. The Fumes

20th April, 2018. 11:19 AM.

 

Jake slammed the car door with far much force than necessary and took off running towards his apartment. It had taken him double the time to reach home, on account of the random cars being abandoned on roads, hordes of people running through the streets and general confusion that followed the-

the -

Well, whatever the fuck that was.

He reached the front door and reached for his keys, and realised he'd kept his wallet, phone and home keys in his desk at work.   
"Dammit," he groaned, and started banging on the door. "MOM??MOM!!!"

No response.

"MO-" He tried once more, but then he heard it- the faint noise of a four-month old crying.

That did it.

Jake walked back two steps and then leaped on to the door with all his strength.

It took him only one more try before the door swung open and Jake stumbled into his apartment.  
It was at that moment that he noticed the smoke detector beeping ,but Jake ignored it and ran into the bedroom, looking for his son. 

As he suspected, Leo was alone, red-faced, and very upset. He picked up the infant and held him close, making soft noises to calm him, though all Jake wanted to do was join him in wailing.

Then Jake smelled the smoke. Leo still in his arms, he ran to the kitchen. There was a covered pot on the stove, and it looked like it was going to-

"CRAP!" Jake yelled and ran,without looking back. He ran straight out of the apartment door, and he'd just crossed the threshold when there came the sound of an explosion, followed by smoke. Leo, who'd gotten quiet, started crying and coughing, and Jake didn't think twice before running to the car and heading straight to the precinct. He had to get his son to safety. 

He was all Jake had left.


	5. The Embers

24th April,2018. 3:40 AM

 

Jake was woken in the middle of the night by Leo crying. Well ,not 'woken' as much as 'forced to stand up', as Jake hadn't been sleeping, anyway. Neither was his son ,it seemed.  
They both missed the woman who was the centre of their world.

 

Jake had just put him down, half an hour ago, after his nightly feed, but Leo was already awake and wailing. 

_What if he's in pain? What if he's sick? Does he need a doctor?_

A billion doubts crossed Jake's mind as he rocked Leo back and forth. _Am I doing something wrong?_

He'd read all the baby books with Amy, multiple times. Then Leo came, and Amy and Jake had the joint realization that no amount of books could prepare for dealing with a flustered infant screeching with displeasure in the dead of night, conveniently unaware of the fact that his parents had a combined total of 6 hours of sleep in the last 24 hours. They'd decided to wing it then, voicing their concerns to each other at all times of the day.

 

They had a billion doubts,all the time, too. But at least they had each other. And together, they could deal with anything. 

 

But now Amy was gone, and Jake was alone, and there was no one to listen to his doubts, no one to stop him spiralling and no one to poke and say "it's your turn!"

Jake was bone tired. He'd never needed sleep more. He never hated sleep more. He lay down on the bed and rested Leo on his tummy, who seemed to be fast asleep. Jake decided to give him a few more minutes before putting him back in the crib.

But the position was far more comfortable than he'd anticipated, the small weight of the baby, reassuring on his chest. For the first time in days, he fell asleep. 

He woke up to blinding daylight, blinking and yawning, when he noticed the still-fast-asleep kid on him.

Jake froze. What if he'd crushed the baby in his sleep!? What if he'd rolled over and smothered Leo under him?!

"LEO!" He gasped, while picking him up and holding him out in front of him.

Jake didn't realise he was holding his breath until Leo squirmed and opened his eyes, making those baby sounds and flailing his limbs.

"Oh God, Leo!" Jake sat up and hugged Leo to his chest, peppering his tiny face with kisses. He put him down on the bed and gave him another once over, to make sure there were no injuries, and found a very happy baby smiling up at him.

 

_...smiling!?!_ Though Leo had begun smiling a month ago, his smile had been conspicuously absent in the past week, and seeing it again made Jake laugh for the first time in days. 

Leo seemed to rejoice at the noise ,throwing his arms about and gurgling. 

"Hey, baby!" Jake cooed , rubbing Leo's tummy gently ,"Hey, you hungry? Who's hungry? Is it Leo? Is it Leo?" 

For a minute there, there was nothing wrong with the world. 

Later that day, Amy's mom found them.

They were living in Jake's mom's house, as the kitchen to their apartment was effectively destroyed. Jake and Rosa had managed to salvage whatever belongings they could and he had moved two days after the 'incident' , as everyone was calling it now. 

 

Amy's mom came in at around two in the afternoon, fear and trepidation written over her face.  
"Amy...?" She'd asked, her voice wobbling. Jake had silently shook his head, his throat too closed up to manage any sound. She'd taken Leo in her arms, and they spent the next hour in silence, tears running down their faces.

"What do you intend to do now, Jake?" Camilla asked, adjusting Leo in her arms to feed him at a better angle. 

"....Do?" 

"About....your life. Your job. Your son. "

" I haven't gone in to work yet, but I will soon ,I guess. What's the point anyway? The world's a mess."

"You need money to feed your son, don't you?"

"Will we even get paid after all this?" He says, gesturing out at the street. 

" It will take time to settle down, Jake. But it will. The earth's faced billions of tragedies before, and it always bounces back. Broken, a bit lopsided maybe, but it still spins. You can spin with it, or you can be left behind. The choice is yours."

Jake got a glance into the tough woman Camilla was, and in those hardened eyes, he could swear he saw Amy.

He swallowed, not saying anything. The world could bounce back, but he couldn't. He wouldn't. Not without Amy.


	6. The Wastelands

...but bounce back, he had to. For his son, if not anything else. 

Camilla came back two days later, armed with food and ideas.

"Leo could come stay with me," she said, sipping her coffee. "You could come visit on weekends!" 

Jake took a couple minutes to process her words. 

"Wait...you mean, you'd take Leo to live with you?"

"Yes.....Matthew and Mason are living with me anyway, both their parents are..were..."

She took a deep breath.

"And, how do you think you'll take care of a 5-month-old and juggle a full time detective's job? With half the world gone? Babies need constant attention, and I think he can live with me for a while ,at least till you get your bearings, or even longer, if need be...."

"I can take care of my son, Mrs. Santiago. I know you've never thought highly of me, but you don't need to worry. I am perfectly capable of- " Jake began, readying himself for an argument. 

"Jake, that's not what I want to say! I'm just trying to make this easier for everyone! I'm sure Amy....." 

She trailed off then, turning her head away from Jake's angry expression.

"Amy what?" he egged her on.

"Amy would have wanted only the best for her son," she finished.

"Well, Amy's not here, is she!? She's gone! I'm sorry, but I can't have Leo torn apart from me! I'm sorry. I can't. I cant."  
He was full on sobbing at that point, shamelessly, and with abandon.

Leo sensed the disturbance in the room and let out a few sounds of displeasure. Jake went to pick him up. 

"I think you should leave, Mrs.Santiago," said Jake quietly, rubbing Leo's back.

"Jake-"

"I hope you come visit soon. Maybe you could bring Mason and the others next time." He was trying really hard to keep a steady voice .

"Jake ,listen...."

"Also, thanks for the food, it was really good, I appreciate it...."

"Jake! Leo is my grandchild and I love him just as much as you do!"  
Her expression softened. "I understand you don't want to leave Leo, I really do. I honestly was just trying to help. Anyway, you're welcome to visit anytime, or drop Leo off to stay for a few days. Also, please think about what I've said.I only say it with love."

She picked up her bags and bent down to press a kiss on Leo's forehead.

At the door, she turned back and said, "It's true, Victor and I never thought the best of you, but I can't deny you're doing a great job with Leo right now." Her voice shook. "I wish Victor was here to see it too."

Jake just nodded, jaw clenched.


	7. The Dust

It had been 3 months since the incident.

Slowly but surely, people seemed to accept the reality of the horrors they'd faced, and began settling down into new rhythms. 

It wasn't easy, and more often than not, you would hear news of alien sightings, of people claiming to have come back from the 'dust '; committees were made to look into the claims; but apart from that, it seemed like everything else had gone back to normal. 

People went back to their same jobs and their same lives, only with person-sized holes in their hearts.

Jake pulled up into the Santiagos' driveway. Leo had been staying there for the past two days, while Jake had been wrapped up in a case that required him out in the field.

\------‐----‐----------------------‐-----‐--- 

He'd returned to work 10 days after the incident, and for the first time in his life, requested desk duty. 

He spent the next month interviewing people ,trying to find people missing from the Incident, making lists of people who had disintegrated and people who had been left behind.

He took Leo into the precinct with him. Childcare rates were through the roof, and there was no way he could afford someone to take care of Leo. And even if he could, the thought of being away from Leo caused him physical pain. So Leo slept in the break room, along with Lacey Jeffords, who'd sit quietly, only occasionally crying for her mom and sisters. 

The next month brought with it a serious upsurge in crime rates.It was as though everyone had gotten over the initial shock and was moving on to the next stage of 'acting out'. Robberies, destruction of public property topped the list, and Terry needed his detectives back in action.

Rosa slammed a file onto Jake's desk. 

"Peralta, Sarge asked us to check this site out and look for eyewitnesses in the area." 

"What is it?,"Jake asked , reaching for the file.

"Vandalism and hate speech," she grimaced. "Same as the one I checked out in Prospect Park yesterday. Seems to be the same gang. Anyway, you cool with leaving Leo here for a couple hours? We can cover more ground together than me by myself alone, also you're much better at talking to people."

"Uhhhhh..." Jake threw a glance at the break room, where Leo was sleeping. "Yeah, I'm not too sure about that...." 

"Jake, you know how much I hate saying this, but I really need your help! This is your job!"

"Rosa, come on, what do I do with the baby?! Dont be stupid!"

"Why dont you drop him off at Amy's mom's?"

Jake threw her the dirtiest look he could muster, but before he could say anything, Terry arrived at his desk.

"Jake, I'll look after Leo for a couple hours, I'm taking my paperwork to the breakroom anyway. I really need you to help Rosa with this."

"Fine," Jake sighed. He hated this plan, but he had to admit, he was bored of only doing paperwork for two months.

So he picked up his leather jacket, went to kiss Leo, and followed Rosa out of the bullpen, only turning back twice.

But after a successful arrest, Sarge assigned him more field assignments, and Jake,while complaining each time, realised that the high of a chase, the triumph of finding a lead, were the only things that could keep his mind off Amy. 

So he accepted more cases. He threw himself into his work and into caring for his son. 

And yet, his mind always wandered to Amy. Over and over. All the time. Everywhere he looked , everywhere he went, she was always at the back of his mind, and most of the time ,the only thing on his mind. 

_I want Amy._ his mind said. _I need Amy._

 

Every evening, from 7PM to 8PM, a group of scientists and politicians and conspiracy theorists would gather in a studio and debate on live television about where the disappeared persons were gone, and whether they could be brought back. Almost the entire world tuned in, desperate for answers.

Jake watched it diligently for the first month, but all he got was a feeling of devastation. No one had any answers and there was no Amy to pull him out of this funk, and he could feel himself sinking deeper and deeper everyday. 

The only thing preventing him from completely drowning was Leo, and he clutched to this thread with all his might.

He dreamed about her, whenever he could sleep. He also dreamed about Charles and Gina and Captain Holt. Usually they would be on top of a building. That was burning. And they were being held and gunpoint. And being chased by hellhounds. And they called out to him. But he could never save them. He watched them burn and crumble.

He didn't need to see things or objects to remind him of her. She was always there. 

However, the adrenaline of police work did help to keep the sadness at bay, and two things happened that prompted Jake to consider Camilla's offer.

One - He was working on a case of arson.The criminal would set fires to government buildings late in the night- from the inside of the building. Jake was close to finding the perp, and he needed to do an overnight stakeout to catch them in the act.

Two- Leo turning six months old made Jake realise the kid needed more food than just formula, and gritting his teeth, he dialled Camilla's number to ask for her advice.

She invited them over on the weekend, so she could show Jake what to do. 

So Jake bundled up Leo, put him in the car seat and drove to Jersey. It was Leo's first trip and Jake was a bit nervous, but he needn't have worried. Leo didn't cry at all, he slept through pretty much the whole ride.

Jake was telling David( who had moved in with his mom) and Camilla about that arson case when Camilla said," Well, if you need to be working, why don't you let Leo sleep here tonight! You can come take him back tomorrow evening."

Jake fought back the frown that was working it's way up his face.  
"Umm, I... really ,uh...."

"Well, what were you going to do with him when you went for the stakeout?"

"I wasn't going to go! I would have asked another detective."

"Jake, you know you need this. You just said that working on cases helps you, and Leo doesn't need a mopey father-"

"No, he needs a happy mother and a happy father ,but look where we are now," Jake sighed. 

It took another hour of convincing before Jake agreed. He wasn't too happy ,but Camilla's logic made sense . This was a good thing for the both of them.

Jake himself had been basically brought up by his mother's mother ,who also hated his father. _So there's that_ , he chuckled humorlessly.

But - they hadn't consulted Leo on his thoughts about this arrangement, and after Jake pressed a kiss onto his forehead and went to hand him over to Camilla, Leo made his feelings clear by screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Whelp, looks like we're going home, sorry Mrs.Santiago, he probably-"

Camilla hugged the baby closer to herself and tried to hush him.

"Jake, he'll get over it, its just been the two of you for so long , but he'll get used to it soon."

"Well, I'll leave after he stops crying, said Jake resolutely .

He took Leo from her (who immediately stopped wailing, the little rascal) and rocked him to sleep, then carefully placed him in Mason's old crib, watching him carefully for any signs of dissatisfaction.

"Jake, you've been standing there for 15 minutes...."

"Yeah...yeah! I'm leaving. I...just..."

"He looks exactly like you", Camilla said softly, taking a step into the room. Jake bit back a sob. That was the first thing Amy had said to him when she had finally seen Leo, after 19 hours of labour, and before passing out from exhaustion.

He took a deep breath and ran a hand over Leo's forehead before shoving his hands into his pockets and leaving the room.

 

"I'll call you immediately after he wakes up," Camilla said "and you know you can call whenever."

It went well, and since that day, Jake dropped Leo off for an overnight visit once a week. He still cried relentlessly everytime Jake left, though he seemed to calm down quicker and quicker these days.

Jake didn't sleep a wink when Leo wasn't home. He completely threw himself into the case at hand, not resting until he was satisfied it was solved.


	8. The Blueprints

5 months had passed since the incident, and slowly Jake and Leo's lives were fitting back into a schedule. 

Leo and the alarm clock had a running competition going on about who would wake Jake up first. 

Get up, get Leo's bottle ready, feed Leo, eat breakfast, take a shower, rush to work with Leo in tow.

Wednesdays were Jake's day off, and he would drop Leo off at Camilla's in the evening, and pick him up on Thursday or Friday ,depending on work.

On Sunday mornings they went to the park with Gina's mom and Iggy. 

On Monday nights, it was Game Night at Rosa's, and Genevieve, Kevin,Terry and Scully all joined in.

Gina's mom dropped Iggy off sometimes, and just like her mom, she immediately commanded the attention of any room she was in. She was only 6 months older than Leo , and Jake was glad Leo would have a friend like her, as Gina had once described - little boy holding little girl's hand. 

 

Game night was mostly just sitting around and remembering the people that were gone. They drank (but not too much, they had work the next day), shared memories and anecdotes and tears. It made surviving a little bit easier, for all of them.

The days turned into weeks, into months, into forever. Jake felt like he'd lost his grasp on the concept of time.

Instead , he measured the days in Leo's milestones. 

The day he took his first step was the day Jake finally got the courage to take out the milestone binder Amy had started for Leo when he was born. Months 4 to 12 were empty, and Jake shed a few tears, running his hand over Amy's neat handwriting in the 0-4 month entries.

He scribbled 'first steps!' On the 12th month section, and promised himself he'd mark any future developments every week. This was probably the first project he'd worked on so diligently. _When Amy comes back, we can show her this to bring her up to speed._ He caught himself thinking this more than once.

 

Many people had given up hope that the ' gone people' would ever come back, but Jake wasn't one of them. Amy would come back, and so would the others. He just wasn't sure when.

 

He found a few grey hairs on his head the other day, and he chuckled to himself- _I wonder what Amy will say when she sees these..._

After that one night, where Leo had fallen asleep on his chest, he'd refused to sleep in his crib. Just flat out yelled, like he was being tortured. 

Even if Jake put him in the crib after he fell asleep, he would wake up in twenty minutes ,screaming his head off, and would be cranky and refuse to go to sleep after.

After a few tries ,Jake had given up, and Leo slept on the bed next to Jake, surrounded by pillows. More than once Jake wondered if this was safe, and what Amy would say, but he had realised it was the only way they could both get a good shuteye. So he let the habit go on.

Jake doesn't remember when Leo started calling him 'dadda'. 

It was late, Jake was tired and Leo was sleeping (or so he thought) , he was searching for some socks to put on when he heard Leo's voice- used previously only to spew forth a bunch of non sense words- saying 'dadda'. 

He froze, turning back in slow motion. Leo was sitting up and had his hands extended to Jake, as if asking to be picked up.

"Dadda!" He repeated insistently and grabbed a small pillow and threw it aside, crawling towards Jake.

"Hey, buddy, did you just say dadda ?? Oh my God," he laughed, making Leo laugh too.

Tiredness forgotten, Jake stayed up for the next two hours, trying to teach Leo to say other words- the list including but not limited to- Poop! Pee! Movie! Phone! Smort! And Jake's personal favorite - Nakatomi!

It came out as a bunch of adorable gibberish, and Jake laughed harder than he had in months.They were so wrapped up in themselves, Jake even forgot to mark the event in Leo's binder. But, thinking back to that night, how they giggled for ages before falling asleep, Leo in his arms, Jake doesn't regret that oversight one bit.

And so time went on. And on. And there was still no sign of the gone folks coming back.


	9. The Bricks

Leo was 2 years old when he found it.

Jake was rummaging around in the cupboard for something when Leo came to stand next to him, taking random stuff out and examining it for a second before deciding it wasn't interesting enough and throwing it down. 

"Leoooo, stop that!" Jake muttered, "Who's going to pick all that- " he stopped, seeing the object in Leo's hands.

It was the crown, the crown Amy had won (earned?)on winning their third Halloween heist.

Jake had stashed Amy's stuff in various boxes around the house, but he knew where those boxes were and tended to avoid them as much as he could. 

Leo, on the other hand, was at the age where anything new was a world full of wonder, and Jake trying to take the crown from him made him want it even more. So Jake had to watch for the next couple hours as Leo traipsed around the house wearing his mother's crown. He looked so ridiculously adorable, the crown perched awkwardly on his wayward black curls. Jake couldn't decide whether he wanted to laugh or cry. So he did both. 

\-------------------------------------------------

"When are you going to tell him about Amy?" Rosa asked Jake, after Jake was done recounting the crown incident to her and Terry. 

"About Amy? What do you mean, about her?"

"That she's his mother! Has he seen photos of her? He's two years old! He should be able to point to her picture and say mom or something."

"Hey, you dont get to decide what my son should or should not do-"

"Jake, she's right." Terry interjected. Jake threw him a betrayed expression and he sighed, plowing on.

"Jake, we see how you react when Amy's name comes up. You completely close down and retreat into your shell. And that is not wrong, but your son deserves to know his mom."

"And he'll go to preschool, and see other kids with their parents, and wont he wonder...." Rosa added.

"Well, the incident has sure taken care of that for me! I'm sure many of the kids will be missing one or more parents," said Jake, bitterly.

"Well, he needs to know about his parents," Terry stressed. "Also, I expected you to be gushing about Amy to him! You always loved talking about her!" Terry added softly.

Jake put his head in his arms and groaned.

"Look ,Jake, we can help out, we could-"

"I've been putting it off ,okay!? I've been putting it off because...because what do I tell him? ' She's your mom and she loves you, but I don't know where she is or when she's coming back?' If she's coming back? There are so many questions I cannot answer!! I've been...I've been waiting for Amy to come back so she can tell him herself. She should tell him herself."

He pulled his head out of his arms, his eyes moist and lips trembling. He rubbed his eyes, grabbed his coffee and left, leaving a shell-shocked Rosa and Terry behind.

 

Which is why Jake nearly wet his pants when, two days later, Leo pointed to the picture in Jake's hand (of Jake and Amy on the day they got engaged) and said loudly and clearly - "mumma". 

Jake stared at his son. 

"What? What did you say, Leo? " but Leo had lost interest in Jake and the photo, and was trying to grab at the phone in Jake's other hand.

 

Jake held his arm up, out of reach of the toddler. "Leo, Leo, look at me. Hey, buddy! No, you're not getting the phone. Leo!"

He picked Leo up and set him on the dining table, and shoved the picture into his line of vision again.

He pointed to Amy, trying desperately to draw Leo's attention to his words. "Leo, see...see this? Who's this?"

"Dadda! " 

"Yeah, cool ,cool ,you're right bud, but who's this?"

Leo took the photo in his hand, turning it over in his tiny hands. Jake sighed, taking it from him again. "Leo, who's this?"

"Mumma," he says simply, looking up at Jake with bright eyes  
.  
"Yeah, bud, that's your mumma...." Jake trailed off, not knowing where to go with that.

"Who told you? Who told you that's mumma?" 

"That's mumma!" Leo declared happily. 

"Yeah, have you seen her before? Have you seen a picture? Who told you that's mumma? Leo?" But Leo had moved on, bored of the topic at hand. He wriggled out of Jake's grasp, trying to get down from the table.

Jake sighed and put him down, letting him run off to his toys.

He ran a list of people through his head, wondering who could have told Leo about Amy.

He was ashamed to admit it even to himself, but he couldn't help but hope that it was Amy herself who somehow met Leo, and talked to him (and she couldn't meet Jake because the aliens would kill them otherwise) and that she'd found a way to communicate with her son-

Camilla! Of course. Amy's mom must have shown Leo pictures of Amy. 

Jake had planned to do that himself that day, hence the photograph in his hand .

When they'd moved, Jake had pretty much shoved all of Amy's photos into a box ; not that this 'out of sight ,out of mind' technique had ever worked. 

He suddenly felt a surge of guilt. He shouldn't have tried to hide Amy like from Leo like that. Leo deserved to grow up with pictures of a smiling Amy looking at him. He deserved to know how much his mother loved him.

Jake took out all the pictures he had of Amy and started pinning them around the house. Most of them went on the refrigerator, some on the wardrobe, some were put into old frames and propped up on various surfaces. Starting that day, he would tell Leo all the stories of Amy he knew. After all, he'd always been very good at talking her up.


	10. The Kiln

"Tony and Monica are getting married," Camilla said, referring to her fifth son, as she handed Jake a cup of coffee. 

Jake had come to pick Leo up from another sleepover at his Abuela's. Currently he was running in the backyard with his cousins.  
Out of total ten of Camilla's grandchildren, four were 'gone' along with 5 of her children. 

This weekend, all 6 remaining grandchildren had gathered at her place, which meant the house was less of a house and more of a zoo. (5 out of 6 were boys) "I'm used to it," she'd said nonchalantly when Jake had raised his eyes on seeing the state of the backyard.

"Married?" Jake asked. "Umm, but what about..."

"His girlfriend? Shes 'gone', isnt she? And he's clearly moved on -"

"I thought they'd been dating for 3 years before she...ummm..."

"Yes, and it's been 3 years since she's been gone. And he's very much in love with Monica."

"Hmm," Jake replied. 

Four years ago, Amy's parents could barely say a sentence to him. They couldn't be in the same room with him without managing to insult him. Look at him now, drinking coffee and gossiping with Mrs. Santiago.

"You'll grow on them babe. You won me over!" Amy used to say to him. "Yeah, took me only five years," he'd reply. This exchange would likely be followed by a hot makeout session. 

Jake missed that. He really did.  
He couldn't fathom the idea of being with anyone else except Amy. Many people had moved on, accepted their fate , apologised to their S.O.s photographs, and started dating again. Jake balked at the thought of it.

"Well, congratulations to him, I guess," said Jake. "Anyway, it's getting dark, so we should -"

"Are you...have you been thinking of dating...or anything... again?" Camilla asked, trying to avoid meeting his eyes. 

"What! Who? Me? Haha, no, not really...." Jake babbled. This was really awkward. Being asked by your missing fiancee's mother whether you were dating someone else, was really really awkward.

"Camilla...(yes they were on first name basis now)...Amy and I were...are... engaged. We have a kid together. I dont think-"

"People are doing it ,though! Married people with gone spouses. My niece Irina is expecting a child with another man. She was married for 8 years!"

"Its easier for some people to move on...than others..."Jake said, parroting the words Kevin had once said during a particularly depressing Game Night.

"Yes, but....they...they aren't gone forever! They'll be back one day! They aren't dead or anything. Victor is going to come back. And so are the rest of them!! Amy and Joseph and Myra and Carlos and-"

"Yeah," Jake said. "They'll be back."

He wondered what made him so sure of this fact. Three years ,and there was no evidence to go on. Was it possible to run so long on pure ,unadulterated Hope and Faith? 

He stood up and placed his mug in the sink, and walked to the back door to call Leo.

"Oh, the wedding's next month, and Tony has asked for Leo to be the ring bearer, if that's okay with you," Camilla said, coming and standing next to him. 

"Yeah, sure ,why not," said Jake, distracted by Leo flying into his arms, all sweaty and dirty. Jake could see a clump of dirt in his hair. 

"Urgh, buddy, look at you! "He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and tried to rub off the muddy steaks on Leo's face.  
"We're going to need a loooooong bath to get this off of you, you little monkey!" "NOOOO," yelled Leo and tried to escape the handkerchief. 

Jake grinned and hoisted the squiggling child over his shoulder. 

"Thanks Camilla, see you next week? Lilo, say goodbye to Abuela!" 

His responding 'Bye-bye Abuelaaaaaaaaa' could be heard till Jake had buckled him in and reversed the car out of the driveway.

"So, Lilo, what did you play today?" Jake asked his son, calling him the name Leo used to refer to himself when he was just learning to speak. Jake had decided it was mega-adorable, and the nickname had stuck. 

"We played footbaaaaaal and we played caaaaaars and we jumped on the stairs and...." Jake let Leo ramble on, he could talk for ages if he was in the mood, and Jake loved hearing his voice. 

 

Leo had school the next day, so Jake wasted no time at all in dumping him into the bathtub , and giving him a good old scrub.They put on music and spent way too much time in there than necessary.Jake bundled him up in a towel and took him to their bedroom to put on his clothes. He was searching for Leo's pyjamas in the drawer ,when-

_SMASH!!!!_

Jake jumped. "LEO! Are you okay, what was that?" He hurried over to where Leo was standing on the bed. Apparently he'd tried to reach out to one of his toys on the side table, but had ended up pushing off half the things on it, one of them being-

"Oh no, the frame! Leo, how many times have I told you not to touch this!? Look, it's all broken now!!" Jake picked it up gingerly.

The glass was completely shattered and the wooden back was cracked as well. It wasn't that big of a deal, but the photograph was of him and Amy just after they'd started dating, and Amy had gotten it framed herself, and had gifted it to him on their anniversary. She'd written a cute message to him on the back.

Needless to say, he was overly attached to it. 

He turned to Leo," Oh Leo, see, you broke it! Now what - HEY!" Leo had got off the bed and lunged forward to grab his toy which was lying in the middle of the glass shards. Jake caught him before he could step on the glass and placed him on the bed.

"Glass will hurt you." He told Leo sternly. "It will give you a big ouchie, you don't touch it, okay?"

He picked up Leo's toy and handed it to him, after carefully inspecting it for stray glass pieces. He carried Leo out to the living room, realizing it was best to keep him as far away from the glass as possible.

 

Later that night, after Leo was asleep, Jake extracted the photograph from the book he'd kept it in for safekeeping. It was one of Amy's lieutenant's exam textbooks. He'd kept all her books, shuddering at the thought of what she'd do to him if he told her he'd thrown them away.

He ran his hands over the picture, thinking of old times. Happier times.

The picture was taken just outside their precinct, by Charles, maybe? He couldn't remember. He recalled Amy winning a bet, one of the stupid bets they did all the time, and she was doing her crazy dance to celebrate her win. Photo Jake was looking at her, trying to make a disgusted expression but fighting off a smile instead, and his eyes, oh his eyes, shone as he looked at her. Photo Amy was also looking at him, but she was mid -dance, her arms lifted and one of her legs sticking out. She looked like she was having the time of her life.

He flipped the picture over and smiled at her message. It was stupid, really, but it was for him and only him.

_Haha, AMY SANTIAGO WINS! Suck it ,Peralta! (Title of my sex tape)_  
_Happy anniversary, babe!  
\- Love, Ames._

He would go buy a new frame first thing in the morning.


	11. The Kindling

July 2nd , 2022. 11 AM

Young kids are very impressionable. They also tend to repeat things they've heard, at random and sometimes inappropriate moments. They have yet to completely grasp the concept of social cues. 

Jake realised this when he saw a three year old Leo staring intently at a drunken man, peeing in the bushes in the park, in broad daylight. Leo immediately thought this was extremely funny and wanted to try it out too. Jake had to spend the next hour keeping an extremely watchful eye on him.

He realised it when Leo told Miss Goodman his favorite movie was Die Hard( he hadn't even watched it, Jake had just told him the story the percious night).

He realised it again when Four year old Leo said ,"Mumma is a nerd." 

It was Sunday morning, and the two boys were chilling. 

It took him two more tries before Jake could make out what he was saying. 

"Leo!! Who said that! Where did you hear that?! "

Leo looked up in surprise at his father's outburst.

"Leo, who told you that? Was it Aunt Rosa?" 

"No."

"Then? Iggy??"

"Noooooo."

"Leo, who was it?"

Leo was silent for a few minutes while Jake prepared a new plan of attack. He was seething on the inside. Who dared talk about Amy like that- to Leo?! Was it even about Amy? Maybe one of the kids at school had said it about their moms? Maybe he'd heard it on TV?

"Uncle David said."

Oh! David, the fool! Couldn't he lay off her even now, even after she was gone?

"Uncle David said that?"

"Yes"

"He said that to you?"

"Yes"

"Why?"

"I dunno."

One quick , angry call to Camilla later, Jake found out that- last week, Camilla and David had been showing Leo and his cousins, an old photograph album they'd found, and David had passed said remark on seeing a picture of a teenage Amy dressed up as a crossword. (How does that even work?) 

 

Jake felt a bit sheepish as he ended the call. In the back of his mind, he knew it was a slight overreaction, but the topic of Amy was very sensitive for him. 

He looked at Leo, wondering whether he should instruct the kid to never say that again.

 _It is true, though._ He thought to himself, laughing. 

_He remembered Amy solving the crossword while she was in labour, adamant on completing it before she went into delivery. He remembered Amy being excited about Math camp. He remembered Amy blowing her top when Jake confessed to hiding her Math camp flyers - Funky Stats for Feisty Cats- was that what it was called?  
He remembered their wedding planning , how Amy had toured nearly all of Brooklyn,while 7 months pregnant, to find a baker who'd make a Nakatomi plaza cake. Maybe he was a tiny bit of a nerd himself. He remembered midnight stakeouts, teasing her relentlessly about her love for Pantsuits and Professionalism. He remembered their nerd- related roleplay and the belly-aching laughs they'd have after. He remembered Amy. All the time. _

He wasn't too sure what Leo made of Amy. She was just an abstract concept, a smiling face in a photograph, a funny story he was told at bedtime. 

Someone ,he was repeatedly told, who loved him. But he was a child, and something that wasn't tangible, wasn't real for him. 

Jake could only hope that one day Leo would realise how much his mother loved him. 


	12. The Kerosene

4th September 2022. 

Jake and Leo arrived at the school 5 minutes before the bell rang and walked up to where The Enigma and her father were standing. 

"You're late, Uncle Jake. As usual." She punctuated her sentence by flicking her hair back. 

Jake grinned at her, before reaching down to ruffle her hair. She shrieked when she realised what he was about to do and ran to hide behind her father's legs. 

"God, she is SO MUCH Gina's kid," he said, smiling at Milton Boyle.

"You say that every time," replied Milton with a laugh. 

"Its true, though."

"Very true. Yesterday, I asked her if she was nervous about her new class and she said 'I don't get nervous. I'm not like the other kids.' You should have heard the way she said 'kids'. She's hilarious." 

Jake chuckled at the anecdote, reminded of something _very_ similar Gina had said to him in middle school. 

"What about you ,kiddo?" Milton asked Leo. "You excited for school?" "Yeah....." Leo said, hugging Jake's leg. He didn't look particularly excited. 

"Well, he seems better than last year," Milton muttered under his breath to Jake.

Jake shook his head, as if to say ,"Please don't remind me" and crouched down so he was at Leo's eye level.  
____________

Leo was an adventurous kid, he wasn't very shy and seemed to be okay making new friends. But he was attached to Jake, a bit _too_ much, in many people's opinion.

Maybe this arose out of the fact that it'd been just the two of them, against the world, for a pretty long time. Or maybe he'd inherited a bit of Amy's anxiety. He wasn't comfortable in new situations, and clung on to Jake as long as he could.

Jake hadn't realised the full extent of this, till the first day of preschool. 

Leo seemed fine till they entered the classroom, but when Jake let go of his hand, Leo had reached for it again. Then he'd asked to be picked up. Jake indulged him until Miss Goodman had asked the parents to leave, and that's when the sobbing had begun. 

Leo wasn't the only kid crying, but to Jake he seemed more inconsolable than the rest. Just when Jake had made up his mind to take Leo home and try again tomorrow, the teacher had tried to convince Leo (and Jake, if he was being honest) to let go. 

It had taken the better part of an hour to get him to stop wailing. It was Iggy who saved the day, really. She came and handed Leo a crayon, and since Leo knew her already, he was a bit trusting towards her. 

"You should leave now," Miss Goodman said to Jake. "He'll be fine, they all are, soon enough ! He just needs time, don't worry." Her voice was soothing , but Jake still felt uneasy when he slowly backed out of the room, his eyes focused on his son the entire time. 

When he came to pick Leo up two hours later, he seemed fine, but on seeing Jake, he immediately burst into tears. 

As Jake rubbed his back and murmured soothing words into his ears, he was already dreading having to this the next day.

The crying-clinging-and clutching- onto-Jake, as if for dear life, went on for a week before Leo adjusted. It was one of the most terrible weeks of Jake's life. 

But soon Leo had settled down, and Jake also enrolled him in the preschool's daycare, and that's where Leo stayed from 10AM to 5PM, after which Jake would pick him up and bring him to the precinct or home.

Terry had enrolled Lacey in the same school, so if Jake was busy on a case, Terry would pick the both of them up, and they would beg him for ice cream, knowing Terry was somehow more susceptible to their big pleading eyes than Jake(Who had first hand experience that getting a toddler with a sugar rush to sleep was Mission Impossible 8.0)  
_____________

" We talked about this in the summer, didn't we, buddy? That you would go to a new classroom now, and you are gonna learn big boy things! "

"Will Miss Goodman be there?"

"No, Lilo, she's with the little kids, remember? But you're a big boy now!"

Leo didn't answer, just held on tighter and brought his hand up to suck his thumb. Jake saw it coming and caught his tiny fingers in his hand. It was a habit they were trying to break, and he was doing good, but stressful situations like this did make him revert.

"Hey, look at me," Jake said, running a hand through Leo's curls, which they'd tried very hard in the morning to tame. "You're going to be fine, Lilo. You're going to go in there , and do math and crafts and gym and you're going to love all that. You're going to make new friends, and learn new things, and hey! Iggy is going to be there with you!" (Luckily, they'd been placed in the same class again.) 

Leo sighed, and shuffled closer to his dad. "Dadda...." 

"Yeah?"

"Did you go to big school?"

"Yeah, dadda went to big school too!"

"Did you like it?"

"Erm." Jake paused. He did NOT have a good time in school(mostly because of the turmoil at home.)

"You know who thought school was the best thing in the world?" 

Leo looked at him with his big baby browns.

"Your mumma." Jake continued, his voice growing softer as it always did when he spoke of Amy.

"Mumma loved school so much, and all her teachers loved her too! She always worked hard and-" Jake paused for dramatic effect. " _She was never, ever late!_ " 

Leo giggled a bit at that. Jake and Leo had more than once been on the receiving end of lectures on their tardiness - from Terry, Camilla, Kevin and even Iggy. 

"You know, Mumma is going to be very proud of you. Such a big boy, going to big school...."  
Leo seemed pleased at this revelation. Just then, the bell rang, and kids started running inside. Iggy came up to them, waiting for Leo to join her.

"Go on, buddy. Have fun! I love you!" Jake gave him a hug and and gently nudged him in Iggy's direction. "Love you dadda," he replied softly. 

"Come on Leo, were going to have so much fun!" Leo looked like he wasn't too sure about that, but he grinned and let himself be pulled along by the boisterous little girl.

"Dont get into trouble!" Jake called after him.

"You dont get into trouble!" Leo answered.

Jake laughed. Leo had been spending too much time with Iggy in the summer.

But that became their catchphrase- their tagline.

Rushing to the entrance, one quick hug, and a whispered _"Dont get into trouble!" "You dont get into trouble!"_ Sometimes Jake would do voices and make Leo laugh. Sometimes they would be too late and the words would be called out as Leo rushed down the hallway.

"Its our tradition," Jake had told Milton when he questioned Jake about it. The thought made him smile. They were a family, making their own traditions. What would he have given to have Amy there for these moments.


	13. The End of the Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo's origin story, if I may.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This chapter is a flashback and provides a backstory. Hopefully it will help to clear up any doubts about the timeline! I've deviated from canon only as much as the story needed, but kept as much same as possible, because no one can do it better than Dan Goor and the b99 writers.

9th June 2017, 7 PM

Amy wondered what she would have done, had they been in different circumstances.

What they would have done, if the looming threat, of a long time in prison, wasn't hanging over Jake. 

What they would have done if they'd had the luxury of unlimited time and unhurried minds.

But they _were_ in this situation, and there _was_ a threat, and they _didn't_ have time.

The past year had been a rollercoaster from the start.

In January was her sergeant's exam, and all the anxiety that came with it. She'd started smoking on the regular again.

In February, her brother Alex had gotten married, and her parents had thrown the most obnoxious wedding known to mankind. It was more of a show than a wedding. Amy was expected to show up and be polite and bask in her brother's glory. She had endured remarks from aunts and uncles about her unmarried status, about her lack of dressing style,about her not so amazing salary and about her 'silly' boyfriend, and for what? To be only third on the list of her parent's favorite children?! Not to mention, poor Jake had to sit through all that, plus Amy's rants later- and he never uttered a word of complaint, trying his best to cheer Amy up, and only getting upset once, when he found Amy chain-smoking on the roof. 

In March, Jake's mom had gotten sick and was in the hospital for two weeks. Jake and Amy took turns staying at the hospital with her and so they hardly ever got time for themselves. It also meant Jake had to interact with his father more than he liked, and that, plus his constant worrying about his mom, made him cranky. 

In April, following Karen's hospitalisation, Amy was frightened into deciding to quit smoking for good, and it was harder than she expected.The withdrawal made her miserable. She'd also cracked down on Jake to eat healthier and drink more water, and they squabbled about it all day long.

 

In May, the Melanie Hawkins Situation began. And the slope to Hell steepened.

 

\------------------------------------------------  
9th June 2017, 9:30 AM

Jake and Rosa were out on bail, and they had a month to go till the Main Trial. 

The 99 threw themselves completely into the case, forgoing sleep and food at times. As the date of the trial came closer and closer, their desperation grew as they struggled to find something - anything- to get Jake and Rosa out of this mess.

Three days to the trial and Amy had a blinding headache. She felt nauseous and all she wanted was to grab Jake, fly awsy to a place no one would find them, and sleep for a week. 

Her phone rang- it was an unknown number - so she ignored it. The same number called her again after a few minutes. Cursing, she picked up the phone. _If this is an advertisement, I swear to God, I will kill-_

"Miss Santiago? My name is Aliya, I'm calling from Dr. Shah's office, you had to have an IUD insertion procedure sometime last month , I think?I just needed to -"

Aliya kept talking but Amy had stopped listening. She didn't have _time_ to wait at a doctor's office , the trial was in _three days-_

 _Well, if Jake goes to jail, I wouldn't need the IUD,_ She thought savagely.

The appointment was supposed to be two weeks ago. Her doctor had preferred to insert the IUD during her period, and Amy was supposed to call the doctor when she got it.

But Amy didn't get her period this month.  
Amy was feeling nauseous for the past week.  
Was  
Amy  
Pregnant?

Amy hadn't really ever used pills for contraception, because her doctor had warned her against using pills as a smoker. Amy had weakly protested that she wasn't a 'smoker' but preferred to use condoms after that. She'd never had a partner long enough to consider anything else till she met Teddy. 

She had to replace it after three years and the three years were up _right_ when Jake had gotten tangled up in this messy business. 

She'd been in the doctor's office for getting it removed; when she'd gotten a call from Terry about a lead , and she'd ran, promising her doctor she'd be back next week for inserting a new one. The doctor had said to call when she got her period. Nine weeks had passed since that happened. They'd been using condoms for the interim, but as Amy thought back guiltily, there may have been times where they forgot, especially when they both were under a lot of stress. 

 

So.....there was a chance she was pregnant.  
There was a chance Jake would go to jail.  
There was also a chance that her mother would kill her for not calling back for the past three weeks, so then none of this would matter.

Jake was out, following a lead with Charles. Amy was supposed to be gathering evidence about Jake and Rosa's alibis. She made a split second decision, to forget everything that had happened in the last 15 minutes, and go back to work. She would think of it again when she saw Jake. 

 

"8th April....8th April....." Amy muttered to herself as she looked through her calendar for details on what Jake was doing on that day.

She hoped they hadn't spent the day lazing at home, as they were wont to do on their joint days off.  
It was a weekend, so Amy needed something other than precinct attendance records as evidence.

 _It had been a week since Karen was out of hospital, and they were going to visit her in the evening...but the robbery had happened in the morning...what were they doing in the morning ?! Oh, right! They'd woken up super late, at 11 am, and stayed in bed as long as they could, cuddling and reveling in each others company, after a long time. Then they'd had sex._ Amy smiled at the memory. _And they'd had sex, and sex made them hungry, and there was nothing in the house, so Jake suggested they go out for food. But Amy was too tired to dress up, knowing they had to go to Karen's for dinner anyway, so she'd sent Jake out to buy food, plus some flowers for Karen._

If they found the name of that place Jake got the takeout from, they could check the security cameras to get footage of Jake's visit! It was a long shot, but Amy was not going to take any available proof lightly.

She tried calling Jake to get the name of the place, but he didn't answer. She had a sudden stroke of inspiration. Jake never threw away his receipts, just stuffed then into his pockets. Grabbing her jacket, Amy rushed home with a plan of checking each pocket in all the clothes Jake owned. 

 

In hindsight, Jake was a good detective who knew she was a good detective. He should have found a better hiding place. But the ring box had been placed in the pocket of his grey overcoat. 

To be fair, Amy would have never found it otherwise, but here was destiny ,throwing them for a loop again.

She dithered a bit on opening the box but then couldn't help herself. She saw the ring. She gasped.  
Then she burst into tears. 

Her fingers shook as she closed the box and put it back into place before resuming her search for the receipt. 

Tears rolling down her face, she contemplated how her life had come to this. 

 

She was possibly pregnant...and it was an accident.

The father of the child was possibly going to jail....and he had been framed.

On top of that, he was maybe planning to propose to her but had decided to put it off.....

She was still crying when she heard the door click open. Hastily, she shoved the closet door closed and tried to wipe her face. 

Jake walked in while she was blowing her nose, trying to be silent. One look at her red rimmed eyes told him all he needed to know.

He didn't say a word, just wrapped her in his arms as tightly as he could. She hung on to him too, breathing in his scent to calm herself down. 

"You wanna talk, babe?"

"Jake, I...."

She stopped and swallowed.

The man was facing a trial soon. How could she bombard him with this? Did he even want kids? 

She knew she did, but the timing couldn't have been worse if they'd tried. (But they weren't trying ha ha whatta joke) 

For the second time that day, she made a split second decision. She would tell him her suspicions after the trial, when he got acquitted.(She was sure he would be.) 

_Lots of split second decisions for a hardcore planner,_ She thought.

"I'm just not feeling so good. A bit light headed. But I'll snap out if it, sorry..."

She smiled at him tearfully. 

His eyes shone, too.

\--------------------------‐‐--‐-------------------  
Her resolution lasted for all of twelve hours, when she threw up at the precinct. Repeatedly. Jake followed her into the ladies' after the third episode, concern written over his face. 

"Ames, what's wrong? "

She didn't answer.

"Babe?"

She couldn't hold it back anymore...

"I think I'm pregnant..."

Silence. 

The stall door opened and Rosa walked out. Oops. She gave them a pitiful look before walking out.

 

The test was positive. She called Dr.Shah. She got an appointment for the day after the trial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why I went into so much detail about Amy's contraceptive history. It felt pertinent at the time.


	14. The Trial

The Trial

Well, we all know how _that_ went.  
Hint: not very well


	15. After the Trial

**The day after the trial a.k.a. The First Appointment.**

Maybe if Jake wasn't in jail, Amy would have had an abortion.

She didn't want kids until she was a sergeant at least.

But he was in jail.

He could still be, in fifteen years.

She'd always wanted kids, even though the timing right now was crappy as hell.

So she didn't get an abortion.


	16. Leo!

Jake got out in two months, and Amy was ecstatic, to say the least. 

She was also almost four months pregnant.

It didn't take Jake long to get used to the idea that he was going to be a dad. _("I had two months to work on it....and also to work on baby names!"_  
"We're not naming the kid after movie characters, Jake."  
" Really? Not even Harry?"   
" ......No?"  
" HA.") 

 

He proposed to her in October, on Halloween. She was completely and utterly blown away.  
He'd asked her about marriage the day the test came positive, but Amy had told him to focus on the trial, and think about it later.  
They decided to get married in May, after the baby was born. Amy's parents weren't happy about that.

Leo was born in January, a month early, and had to spend three days in the NICU. 

Leo William Peralta went home on the 31st of January, 2018. He would be uprooted from this home barely 4 months later, crying and motherless.


	17. The Burning Matchstick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're close now, folks!

April 16th, 2023.

They were on time, for once. 

"Dont get into trouble, bud!"  
"You don't get into trouble!" 

Jake waved goodbye till Leo was out of sight, then turned around and pulled out his phone to call Rosa. They had to interrogate a suspect, and Jake decided to have Rosa pick him up from Leo's school. 

She didn't pick up, so he rang again, making his way slowly to the school gate. 

Still no answer. Jake frowned. Rosa probably counted on his being late and wasn't ready to leave yet. 

He shoved the phone in his pocket and turned to watch the school grounds. A bunch of older kids were kicking a ball . A teacher was yelling at them to go inside. A couple of small girls in pigtails were trying handstands. 

"Jake?"  
".....Sophia?"


	18. The Flames

"So...you got a kid in here?" Sophia asked, gesturing at the school. 

"Yeah," Jake said, awkwardly running a hand through his hair.  
"My son...."

"Well, that explains why you were staring at a bunch of kids," Sophia replied, grinning cheekily.

"Wha- oh," Jake laughed. "Yeah, I'm not a pedo."

They smiled awkwardly at each other.

"You look well," Sophia commented.

"You too! Umm, you have a kid here too, or..." 

"Yeah, err, my sister's kid. She and her wife both, ummm, you know...."

"Ohhh..."

"Yeah, she's been living with me ever since. "

"Oh. Ok, well, so, I'd better-" 

Sophia cut him off. "So your wife...I mean, your kid's mom...is she..." 

The unasked question hung heavy in the air.

"Yeah...um, fiancee actually! ...she's gone too."

"Oh.......oh no...."

Jake shrugged. He really didn't want to talk about Amy to Sophia.

"So.....you seeing anyone?" Sophia asked, her expression innocent enough. 

(Later, Jake joked that the 'Reversal' was a part of the Universe's scheme to save him from answering that question.He thanked the Universe with all his might.)

He dithered, trying to find a nice way of saying: _Excuse me, I literally just told you I'm engaged, how do I make it more clear..._

That's when the little girl screamed. 

Jake looked around wildly, trying to locate the source of the sound. But suddenly he couldn't see the school grounds anymore, there were too many people obscuring his vision. 

_Where did all the people come from!?!?_

There were more screams and gasps and yelled profanities. There were too many children crying. 

Jake tried to push ahead, trying to see -   
The doors to the school suddenly burst open, and kids began pouring out. 

_What the hell!?_

Jake started running now, still confused. _What if this was a second Incident, what if they took Leo, what if they took him and Leo was left alone...._

That's when the yells of 'They're back! THEY'RE BACK!!' began.

It still took Jake a few minutes to comprehend it. 

"What!? Jake, do you think....it's the gone people???" Sophia asked. Jake hadn't realised she was still next to him.

_Only one way to find out._

Jake ran inside the school, desperate to get to Leo. He waded through oceans of kids running in the opposite direction. God, he hoped they didn't get hurt or lost. 

He entered Leo's classroom and found him sitting in a corner, looking shellshocked . A bunch of kids about Leo's age, whom Jake had never seen, stood in the middle of the classroom, some crying, some silent; all scared. 

"Leo! Leo, come on."

He held out his hand and Leo immediately stood up and ran to his dad.

That's when Jake's phone rang.  
It was Rosa. 

"Hey-"

"Rosa, where are you? Listen, I'm at Leo's school, and there's something happening, I think-"

"Jake...."

"There are so many new kids here, d'you think it's something to do with the Incident? Maybe-"

"JAKE!"

"What?!"

_"She's back... "_


	19. The Smoke

A beat passed.  
Then another.  
Then another.

"Jake...? Listen, I gotta go. It's crazy here!"

She hung up.

Another beat.

"Dadda, what's happening?"

_she's back_

"Dadda, why is everyone screaming?"

_she's back_

"Dadda!!"

_she's back_

 

Jake gasped, the reality finally, finally hitting him.  
Hard-  
In the face-  
And maybe in the nuts.

He grabbed Leo's hand and pulled him out of the class, completely ignoring the teacher.

There were still hordes of people in the hallway, so Jake picked Leo up. He ran, out of the door, out of the gates, onto the street. 

The precinct was a 25 minute walk from school. 

Jake didn't know if he could wait that long.

The roads, just like last time, were congested and chaotic. 

"Where are we going, Dadda?" Leo asked. His voice shook. He was frightened.

"To the precinct-"

"But what is happening?" 

"I'm not sure, we have to go check it out..."

"Is in an attack? Are the monsters coming?" 

"What? What monsters? I don't know, Lilo-"

"Dadda, I'm scared!!"

Jake slowed down a little and looked into Leo's eyes. 

Explaining the situation was going to be a messy affair.

"Let's get to the precinct, and we'll know more then, okay? But don't be scared, I'm right here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you ,okay? "

Leo nodded, and Jake picked up speed again. 

He only set Leo down when the precinct came into view.

_Amy Amy Amy Amy Amy_

His mind chanted.

_she's back_

 

He'd dreamed of this moment for so long. Everyone had. 

But now that it was here, he couldn't think.

He couldn't breathe.

He just needed to see her. 

They took the stairs, Jake was not patient enough for the elevator. 

The bullpen was jam-packed, he couldn't see anyone he knew. 

"Terry?" He called out." Rosa??" 

Where were these guys?? 

"Jake!"

" Rosa..what...? "

"Terry went home. I saw Captain Holt; Kevin came in 10 minutes ago, they've been holed up in the cabin ever since. Listen Jake, I gotta go, I gotta check on-"

" Yeah, yeah,sure,go ahead; where's Amy? "

" I don't know! I saw her, but when I went to look for her I couldn't find her! I've been bombarded with calls ever since, I thought you'd be here faster-"

"Yeah, I was at Leo's school- you know what, let's do this later."

"Right," Rosa rushed off.

Dragging Leo with him, Jake called Amy's name, but got no response. He hoped she hadn't left the precinct.He hoped she hadn't gone home, she wouldn't know they'd moved....

"Excuse me? Excuse me sir? They're saying its 2023 ? What kind of prank is this? " An old lady grabbed him by the collar. Jake could see Leo flinch and push himself closer to Jake. 

"I'm sorry ma'am ,please, I don't know, I dont know..."

She moaned, and opened her mouth to say something else, but Jake escaped before she could speak.

_Where could Amy be!?!?_

Sweat droplets start to form at his forehead . He was so near , yet so far. 

"Amy, where are you??"

"Dadda? Dadda what are you doing??"

Crap!!! He still had to tell Leo! But right now, he couldn't think of anything else except finding Amy.

He pulled Leo away from the center of the bullpen, away from the crowd, and that's when in struck him.

The Evidence Locker!

She'd go there when she was worried or stressed or just tired. She used to go to the roof, but that had her craving for a smoke, so she'd shifted her freakout location to the Evidence Locker- the place Jake had proposed to her, where they'd had their first kiss, where they'd killed a captain. 

Jake sprinted to the door and on reaching there, kneeled in front of Leo.

"Lilo, buddy, just wait here for a while okay, I'll be right back-"

Leo nodded but didn't let go of Jake's hand, who gently tried to pry himself from his son's grasp.  
He didn't want to spring Amy on Leo, or Leo on Amy first thing.

"Just a few seconds darling,I'll come right out ,okay? "

Leo let go of him , but he was still looking scared.

Jake didn't wait for any more protests, he opened the door and rushed inside- 

"Amy?? Amy are you here?" 

Just then, Leo rushed inside, and grabbed Jake's hand. "Dadda, don't go!" 

"Baby, I said I'd be-"

"...Jake?? "

 

She was standing in the corner of the room, hands clenched into fists, eyes wide and afraid. She was wearing the sergeant's unifrom she'd had on when she disappeared.

She hadn't seen Leo, not yet. He was behind a shelf,not tall enough to be visible, like Jake was. 

"Jake? Jake, I don't understand what is happening... what are they saying? Is it true?"

She didn't move, just stood there, shaking slightly. 

A beat passed. 

Then another. 

Then another.

And Jake couldn't wait anymore. He rushed towards her and engulfed her in his arms ,like he wanted to do since forever. 

He tried to say everything he'd wanted to for the past five years with this hug. He hugged her like he would never let go again.


	20. The Firefighters

_AMY_

....and then she was hugging Jake, and he was holding onto her, so tightly that she almost forgot the craziness the past thirty minutes had brought.  
Almost.

_All she remembered was being in the bullpen with Jake, wanting to videocall her son - hearing screams- then a feeling of dizziness and blacking out; but that passed soon enough - and when she opened her eyes, she was still in the bullpen. But there was no Jake._

_The screams started again, and Amy remembered seeing that beat cop - melting? And she remembered herself....disintegrating?!_

_Had she been transported to a different universe? A Jake-less universe?_

_Then the same beat cop who she'd witnessed **turning to dust** had told her that the world had skipped forward five years, and had left them behind. _

_She couldn't get answers from anyone else, couldn't find anyone she trusted, so she came to the evidence locker to breathe for a few minutes._

_But she couldn't bring herself to go outside again._

_Because, while on the outside, she'd scoffed at the cop's **'we've travelled through time '**  
nonsense, somewhere deep inside, she had a sinking feeling that it was true...._

_So she stood in the corner..._

_....waiting_

_....waiting_

_And then she'd heard his voice, the voice of the man she loved the most, calling her name, and he was staring at her like they were in a desert, and she was the only green tree for miles, and then he was running to her, and grabbing her, and circling his arms around her , and saying her name over and over again, and everything was right with the world again._

_Until she heard that second voice._

"Dadda?"

Jake released her and his expression changed into one of horror.

"Amy...Ames? What year is it?" He whispered urgently, moving so that he was blocking her field of vision.

"Its 2018, isn't it? And - Oh!"

She watched as a small child came out from behind the shelves, his thumb in his mouth, looking at Jake. The child seemed to be on the verge of tears. 

She knew who he was before Jake called his name.

She knew who he was from the shape of his nose (Jake's) and the curl of his hair (Jake's).

She knew he was from the colour of his skin (hers) and the shape of his eyes (unfairly, also Jake's).

He was her son.

But he couldn't be.

Suddenly her knees gave way and she stumbled. Jake caught her before she could hit the floor and gently lowered her so she was sitting, and he kneeled down beside her,holding her hands.

Her eyes never left the kid's.

Leo. Leo was his name. _  
She_ was the one who had suggested the name.

Leo didn't make any attempt to come closer to his dad, just stood there, and called for Jake. 

"Dadda, I wanna go home!"

Jake looked at him like he wanted to say something , but no words came out.

Instead he turned to Amy and said, "Ames...."

"That's our son," she whispered.

It was a question.

"Yes....."

"He's bigger than I remember," she laughed. It wasn't funny.

"Yes..."

She began shivering, though it wasn't cold at all.

"It's true then? It's been five years? I've been gone for five years? "

Her volume increased with each word so she was practically screaming at the end. She saw Leo flinch. 

"Dadda!" He repeated. 

Jake let go of her hands and walked to him, picking him up.  
He brought her closer to Amy, but Leo angled his body away, towards the door. 

"Leo, do you know who this is?"

Leo didn't answer, just kept looking at the door.

"Lilo, I'm sure you know who this is. Can you tell me? "

"Hi, Leo... " Amy said, trying very hard not to cry.

He looked at her then, very briefly, before looking at Jake again.

"Leo? Who is that? "

"Mumma," he whispered, and Amy couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

Jake looked at her. He was crying too.

"Dadda, hoooooomeeee!" Leo whined again, squiggling in Jake's arms.

"Yes, buddy, lets go home," Jake held out his hand to help Amy off the floor, and hand in hand, they walked out of the precinct and into the street,not saying a word. Leo put his head down on Jake's shoulder and closed his eyes.

Outside, it was a bit quiter, but she could see it was still chaos, with people running, wailing and screaming on phones. More than once she jumped out of the way to stop getting hit by a rushing pedestrian. 

"So...is New York like this all the time nowadays, or is it just today?" Amy muttered.

Jake looked at her and smiled brilliantly. She'd just seen that smile only a few hours ago, she told herself; but it felt like an eternity. She wondered what Jake was feeling- having your dead fiancee show up from essentially nowhere, after being an absentee parent for five years, was a tiny bit out of ordinary.

In the light outside, she could see him clearly, and he looked older, more rugged. There were a few silver hairs scattered on his head and the lines around his eyes were more prominent.

It had really been five years.

Leo was scared of her, and Amy's heart broke everytime he looked away to avoid her gaze, and when he pushed into Jake, any time she reached out a hand towards him, she could feel the tears welling up again.

"Where are we going?" she asked Jake.

"Home! Oh...ermm...we had to move. I got a new place near the precinct, it's a ten minute walk , do you want to take a cab, are you tired? "

"You had to move? Why?"

Jake sighed.

"Well, our apartment kinda burned down...."

"What!?"

"Ames, I'm going to take you home, and you're going to get comfortable and then I'm going to tell you everything that happened. I...I just don't want to overwhelm you by bombarding you with everything just now. It's a lot to take in.Is that okay?"

Amy nodded.She wasn't sure she wanted to know anything at all.


	21. The Lights and the Sirens

The day his son was born 

The day Amy said yes

The day he received his first medal of valor

The day he graduated from college

The day he got into the Academy

The day he got promoted to detective

The day Leo called him Dadda.

Also, maybe, the day Leo found Jake crying over a picture of Amy and brought him his John McClane action figure that he was playing with and said "Dadda for you! No sad peez! " 

Jake can count on his fingers days like these; when he felt only joy- pure, unbridled joy. For five years, he'd expected the day Amy came back, to top the list.

It didn't top the list .  
It wasn't even in the top 3.  
It wasn't even in the top 5.

Amy had been back for barely an hour and things were not going as planned.

Leo refused point-blank to talk to her, or even be around her. Granted, he'd had a pretty overwhelming day, he'd been sick just last week, he was exhausted and confused and had spent half of his morning being afraid.

This made Amy sad, and she seemed constantly on the verge of tears . The news that her apartment had burned down, that everything she knew about the world had suddenly been seized from her firm control, didn't help much.

Jake flitted back and forth, not knowing what to do. 

That's when he remembered his mom - _Where would she appear? What had happened to their old apartment?_

Jake hadn't bothered to go back and find out, ever. He told Amy this, and she insisted he go and find his mom, but Leo screamed and refused to let go of Jake. 

Jake didn't want to leave Amy alone for even a minute and she looked too tired to be running around the city. 

Rosa arrived in the form of a guardian angel.(She was looking for Gina actually) and Jake asked her to stay at home with Amy, while he went to get his mom.

No one was particularly happy about this, except maybe Leo, who got his dad all to himself for a while.

In the car, Jake tried to explain to Leo what was going on, but for some reason, the kid wasn't having it. 

"Leo, you recognize your mom right? Shes gonna live with us now!"

"Whyyyyyyyy. I want dadda!"

"Dadda is going nowhere, sweetie, just that mumma is gonna come live with us!"

"No."

"No?! What does no mean!?"

_______________________________ 

 

_Amy and Rosa_

 

Rosa called Darlene Linetti again, but she wasn't answering. 

Next to her, Amy was staring out into space, completely still. 

"Santiago....you cool?"

"Haha...yup, all cool, just been MIA for five years...all cool...."

"Amy-"

"I missed my son growing up! I missed everything!"

"There's this binder....." Rosa began, but Amy talks over her.

"I left and he was a baby, and now he can talk and walk and he doesn't know me! He doesn't even know me!"

Rosa looked pointedly at all the pictures of Amy in the house, but Amy ignored her.

"He cries when he sees me and ...and guess what- " she looked at Rosa in total horror - "I think I'm still lactating!"

The full blown terror on Amy's face makes Rosa almost want to laugh. Almost.

________________________________

 

_Jake and Leo_

 

Leo was quiet on the ride back. So was Karen. 

Jake was talking, explaining the situation to Karen. 

She didn't say a word, just listened. When Jake finished talking, she let out a long sigh. 

Jake checked the rearview mirror. Leo was asleep, knocked out by the events of the day. Karen followed his gaze.

"He looks like you more than ever, you know."

Jake chuckled."Yeah, we've heard."

"You've done well with him, Jake."

"I hope so, mom...I hope so."

"How's Amy dealing...?"

"Leo keeps pretending she doesn't exist so that's a bummer... "

"He's a child, Jake, give him time..."

"Yeah, I mean, I don't blame him at all, poor thing. Seeing someone who was just a picture in the morning suddenly come to life, must not be easy....."

"No, I dont think so..."

"He recognized you too, you know. Called you Granna."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm"

"Oh," she wiped a tear off her cheek.

Jake reached over and clasped her hand. 

 

Jake didn't want to wake Leo up, so he carried him from the car.

Rosa and Amy were on the couch, Amy was saying something but stopped when she saw them. 

"Karen! "

"Amy, hello darling!"

They hugged, and Jake went to the bedroom to set Leo down.

Amy stood in the doorway, watching as Jake carefully removed Leo's shoes and covered him with a blanket. He caressed Leo's forehead and murmured soothing words when he stirred, putting him to sleep again.

Amy turned around, feeling as though she'd encroached on a private moment. Would she spend the rest of her life feeling awkward like this? 

She felt a touch on her elbow. She looked up to find Jake smiling at her. 

"Hey, come on, let's talk."

"Yeah...."

They passed Karen in the kitchen.  
"Jake, I'm going to take a nap too, I'm feeling really tired," she said, yawning.  
Jake found a blanket for her and told her to yell his name if she needed anything.

 

Jake sat down on the sofa and pulled Amy down next to him. She put her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her waist.

They were silent for a bit, just enjoying the feeling of each other's company.

"Can we just go back to normal, Jake? Pretend nothing ever happened?"

"Ames...honestly, I want nothing else. And for you and I, I agree, let's go back to being Jake and Amy like we always were. Always will be. Nothing's gonna change that!"Jake sighed,pressing a kiss on her cheek. "But for Leo? Everything's changed. We will have to deal with some weirdness before he settles down.But we're together and we can handle anything, right? "

Amy put a hand on his chest. Jake saw the ring on her finger glinting in the sunlight. His breath caught in his throat.

"Let's take it day by day, okay? It isn't going to be all smooth sailing. But we'll get throught it," he finishes, shifting to pull her closer.

" Yeah, we will." She smiled at him, eyes glistening, and moved to kiss him. Jake caught her face in his hand .

"What?"

"I...I've waited five years for this. Let...let me look at you." Jake grinned at her.

Amy ran a hand over his face. 

"Wow...you look older now..."

"Thanks, Ames."

She giggled."No! Not like that. You look rugged...distinguished. I like it." She grinned back.

Jake snorted and then bent down to kiss her. 

They broke apart after a long while, foreheads touching, chests heaving. 

"We can do this, Jake," Amy whispered.

"Yes, we can."

Suddenly, he lets out a laugh.

"It could have been worse.   
Tony married someone else and they have a baby,now! I can't imagine his girlfriend will be pleased...."

"Tony....my brother Tony?   
He was dating Layla for 3 years- he married someone else?"

"Well...."

"Oh my God!! The world really moved on, didn't it....." Amy said, looking stricken.

Then she looked at Jake, wordlessly asking him a question. 

"What?" he said, knowing full well what was coming.

"Jake! You know 'what' !!"

"I just told you I've waited five years to do that, Ames." He raised his eyebrows at her, silently giving her the answer.

She started crying and completely buried herself into Jake.

"Ames? Babe , I love you, okay? I love you the most in the world, you and Leo. You are my endgame. You don't need to worry about me, or us! We're solid, always have been! You've been my best friend for the last ten years!"

"Jake...Jake...what did I do to deserve you? I see the way you are with Leo - such a wonderful dad...I wish I was there to see all that...I HATE that I missed it..missed Leo growing up..." She sobbed into his shirt. 

"Ames...You're right. This thing sucks, it sucks for you and Leo and me and everyone in the world. I wish it didn't happen, but it did. But it doesn't have to matter. We'll make new memories, together!"

They smiled at each other, before leaning in for another kiss. They had almost progressed to full on making out when Jake's phone rang.

It was Camilla.

"Is that my mom?" Amy asked, staring down in shock at the screen.

"Yeah....guess what, Amy, we're best friends now!"

"You and my mom?"

"Yup!"

"My mom and you?"

"Big time." Jake waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Wow..." she said breathily "..guess it really is the future..." 

Jake laughed and pulled her in for another kiss, phone call ignored.

They were going to be okay.


	22. Epilogue

6th September 2023. 8:15 AM.

 

"Why is there no one else here?" Leo asked.

"Because everyone's late!" Amy replied .

Jake grinned at her, stifling a yawn. It was Leo's first day of kindergarten, and now with Amy back in their lives, the acceptable time to reach school was fifteen or more minutes early.

They reached the gate and Leo began dragging his footsteps.

_Uh oh_ Jake thought. _Here we go_

Amy also recognised the change in speed.She looked at Jake, worried, but Jake gave her a nod. _We got this, babe._

As they bent down to talk to Leo, Jake's thoughts wandered to the summer...

\--------------------------------------------------

It was one of the best summers he'd ever had. (Even better than the summer after high school when Gina had pulled him into her beaten down car and they'd spent the month driving across the country, doing odd jobs during the day and partying at night, not a care in the world. Jake had never felt so free.)

 

The day after she came back, Amy woke up early and was sitting in the kitchen, in deep thought, when Jake walked in. 

"Hey-" he began but she didn't let him finish.

"You were in WitSec for 6 months and we felt out of sync. FIVE years, how do you not feel weird?"

"Do YOU feel weird?"

"Not exactly...but its only been five minutes for me, Jake!"

Jake took a deep breath. "I-I dont know Amy...I mean, I dont understand how or why, but this-" he gestured between them- "feels as natural as it was 5 years ago! For me, its like something was missing, and now it's not, and I feel whole again - that does undercut some of the weirdness of watching you turn to dust and being....undusted?...after five years. Also I guess time moves much faster, when you have a kid who needs attention, twenty-four-sevs. "

Amy beamed at him and he grinned back. They stood like that for a while, staring at each. But then Amy's smile faltered. "If only Leo felt that way too..."

 

They thought Leo would take a few weeks to adjust to Amy, but small kids are more resilient then they imagined. 

Jake and Amy tried all sorts of ways to get Leo to talk to Amy - they both liked puzzles, they both liked books,they both liked _Jake_ \- they did have a lot in common! 

However, the thing they bonded over, was getting cold too easily.

_  
(2 days after the Reversal)_

_"Dadda! Dadda!"_

_Amy poked her head into the room, nervous as hell. Jake had gone to drop his mom off at her house, and Leo had been put to bed already. He was supposed to be asleep. Amy was getting ready for a shower._

_He called for Jake again, a tremble in his voice this time._

_"Hey, Leo, is everything okay? You need something?"_

_"Where is Dadda?"_

_"Umm, he'll be here in ten minutes, okay? Can you wait for ten minutes, sweetie?"_

_Leo didn't answer, but he slid off the bed._

_"Leo, sweetie, let me help you, please? What's wrong?"_

_"I'm cold!"_

_"Oh! Well, let's find you a sweater, shall we?"_

_He nodded hesitantly, and Amy opened his cupboard to find a Ninja Turtles sweater._

_"Hmm, do you like the Ninja Turtles?"_

_He looked at her shyly. "...yeah."_

_"What else do you like?"_

_"Moana"_

_"Moana? I don't know who that is, can you tell me?" She asked, hoping that talking about something he liked would help to get him out of his shell._

_He didn't respond, and clambered on top of the bed and raised his arms so Amy could put the sweater on him. But he sneezed , and the force of it caused him to be propelled forward, into Amy's arms._

_Amy hadn't held her son for a long while (3 days for her, 5 years for the rest of the world) and she took the opportunity to hug him closer but he escaped her grip and landed on his feet. She tried not to look too disappointed._

_"Okay, you good to sleep now?"_

_"Okay..."_

_She tucked him into bed. He didn't close his eyes._

_"Good night, Leo!" She whispered._

_"G'night." His gaze followed her as she left the room._

_She came back to check on him 5 minutes later (okay, who was she kidding, she'd been outside his room the whole time) and he still wasn't asleep._

_"Hey, cant sleep?"She asked, walking slowly towards him._

_"No..." He was fidgeting with a toy._

_She sat down at the edge of his bed._

_"I've never watched Moana," she began again, clutching at straws._

_"Was there no TV in the gone place?" He asked._

_(They'd explained to Leo that half the world's population had been trapped by a bad person in a "gone place". He never reacted to that news until now.)_

_"Oh! No...there wasn't much of anything really..."_

_"Did you miss TV??"_

_"Ummm, a little, but I missed you and dadda more. So much more."_

_She moved towards the head of his bed. To her complete shock, Leo shifted to give her space._

_Feeling brave, she put her legs on the bed and lay down beside him._

_She felt him stiffening._

_Uh oh. Too brave?_

_"Are you still feeling a bit cold?" She asked, and rubbed his arms gently._

_He didn't reply but leaned into her touch._

_She remembered Jake telling her that Leo always slept next to Jake, and required his warm presence to go to sleep._

_"Were there monsters in the gone place?" Leo started again._

_Oops. Maybe they shouldn't have told him about the gone place?_

_"No...no, there weren't."_

_"Were you scared?" He asked quietly. He was looking into her eyes, a bit scared but genuinely curious. Amy wondered how long he'd been holding back these questions._

_"I was scared I'd never see you again," she confessed softly. He frowned at that._

_**Too much,** she thought.She scrambled to find something to diffuse the tension._

_"But, ermm, I was also really cold and I didn't even have my sweater!"_

_He looked at her with wide eyes._

_"Are you cold now?" He asked slowly._

_"Only a bit...can I use your blanket to cover my feet?"_

_He nodded, after a moment and she slid under the blanket with him. He moved towards her._

_"You're warm like dadda," he commented._

_Amy smiled, remembering Jake yelling at her for touching him with her stone cold feet, trying to get to his warmth._

_"Am I?You're warm like dadda too!"_

_"But I'm cold!"_

_"I'm cold too - here, let's cuddle so we won't feel cold?"_

_Leo looked like he was thinking about it, then nodded._

_She pulled him a bit more towards her and started rubbing his back._

_Both of them fell asleep within the next ten minutes._

_Leo woke up that day, for the first time in his life, with both parents on either side. He'd never felt so warm and cozy._

_He made them watch Moana with him the next day, and on seeing how Amy was a much more willing participant than Jake; ( who'd been forced to watch it a billion times) it was her who got to hold his hand when they went out to the shops later.  
_

Three days later, Leo whispered in Jake's ear -  
 _  
" Will mumma stay with us forever?"_

_"Yes,Lilo."_

_"Okay."_

_"...Okay?"_

_"Yeah, I want her to stay with us forever."  
_

Leo and Amy were inseparable soon enough.

"Little boys are always attached to their mothers," Karen told Jake.

Camilla agreed. "I have seven, all of them went through the momma's boy phase. "

When Jake told Amy, she burst into tears. 

 

It was the summer of reunions.

Jake hadn't realised how much exactly he'd been missing Charles till they were partners on a case again.

Jake hadn't realised how much hed missed Holt; till Holt said "You're late, Peralta," when they went out for dinner.

Jake hadnt realised how much he missed Gina, till she arrived at their doorstep, unannounced, and proceeded to talk his ear off for the next three hours. She hugged him as she left. "Thanks for your help with Iggy." 

 

In August, Jake and Amy took a mini-vacation by themselves, leaving Leo with Camilla. Amy had refused to leave Leo for even one day, but everyone convinced them that the two of them needed some time to themselves. So they'd gone to a resort in the mountains for the weekend, and a had lot of fun in "getting to know each other" again. 

"Getting to know each other" was easier when you knew there wasn't a five year old sleeping in the next room.  
_______________________________

 

"....okay?" Amy finished.

"Okay!"

"What a good boy, Leo! Say bye-bye to dadda, now."

"Bye Dadda! "

"Bye Lilo! Don't get into trouble!"

"You don't get into trouble! "

Amy laughed and gave Leo another quick hug. 

"Bye baby, I'm gonna miss you so much, see you soon! "

"Bye mumma! "

Amy kissed his cheek and then let him go. She straightened up and leaned into Jake as they watched their son walk up to the door, turn back to give them a quick wave and then disappear from view.

Jake put a arm around Amy's shoulders and she snaked one around his waist as they turned to walk back home.

"I already miss him," Amy sighed.

 

After the 'Reversal ' schools and many businesses had remained closed for a month till the world adjusted. Leo had essentially been home ever since Amy came back. 

Jake laughed. "He'll be home in five hours, babe!" 

"FIVE hours !?!?!"

"I'm sure I can distract you for that long...." Jake murmured in her ear ,eyes glinting with amusement.

"Really, Peralta? You think you can?? "

"Wait and watch, babe." 

They looked at each other and smiled, and in that moment Jake knew he had everything he ever needed.

He also knew Leo wasn't going to submit his homework late, ever again.

 

\------FIN------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **HELLO READER!!!!**
> 
> **First of all, thank you for reading and giving this fic a chance! Especially those of you who took out the time to leave kudos and comments- Thanks a ton!!!!!!!!  
>  I had a lot of fun in writing this fic. I hope you had the same in reading it. Please feel free to let me know how you felt about it !!!   
> Also, if you've any idea whatsoever for prompts- drop it in the comments! I'm forever looking for ideas, and currently I've been bit by somewhat of a writing bug- so lay it on my folks. Also if you want to gush about Brooklyn99; and how it is just the most amazing show in the universe, please feel free to do that as well. Aren't Jake and Amy the best?? Not to mention the rest of the cast. **
> 
> **Once again, thank you for reading! NINE NINE!!!**

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again, I hope you liked it! I really want to try to make the story more light -hearted , but this is a heavy topic , isn't it.  
> Please leave kudos and comments- much appreciated!! Thanks for reading!!!


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